An easy and delicious weeknight dinner: Spicy Chicken Bibimbap with corn and cheese! A rice bowl with gochujang marinated chicken, fresh corn, and a generous helping of gooey cheese. Kimchi adds spice and flavor. To make it extra special, serve in a Dolsot, or Korean stone bowl. It creates a layer of crispy rice on the bottom. An easy meal with BIG flavor that can be put together quickly!
What is Spicy Chicken Bibimbap?
Bibimbap is a classic Korean dish that means “mixed rice.” Spicy Chicken Bibimbap is a kind of Bibimbap or Korean rice bowls that feature spicy gochujang chicken, kimchi, corn, and mozzarella cheese. Easy and delicious with lots of flavor!
A classic Bibimbap bowl is served with a variety of colorful fresh vegetables, protein, and a fried sunny side up egg on top. But in Korean cuisine, there are many different kinds of Bibimbap. Other regional variations include Mushroom Bibimbap, Jeonju Bibimbap (raw beef), and Yeolmu Bibimbap (cold radish kimchi).
The inspiration for Spicy Chicken Dolsot Bibimbap comes from a Korean restaurant, Gameeok in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Their Cheese Dolsamkim featured a sizzling hot bowl filled with rice, spicy pork, kimchi, cheese, and corn — I came home and created a version with chicken.
Traditional Bibimbap is time-consuming, as there are a lot of cooking steps. The cooking process requires all the vegetables to be cooked separately. The meat (usually beef bulgogi) also needs to be marinated and cooked separately.
But Spicy Chicken Bibimbap rice bowls only take 30 minutes. The only cooking requied is for the chicken and rice. Assemble in a bowl. Add fresh corn, cut right off the cob. With kimchi and mozzarella cheese. The combination pairs very well together.
To make it extra special, add plenty of aromatics. In this case, green onion and finely shredded perilla leaves. And serve in a Dolsot or Korean stone pot. The rice will get crispy and crunchy on the bottom! YUM!
What is a Dolsot?
A Dolsot is a Korean pot made from clay, ceramic, or granite. It is heated on the stovetop or oven and served at the table, sizzling hot. The beauty of a Dolsot is that food stays hot for a long time. For Bibimbap, the heated stone bowl also creates a layer of crispy rice.
Traditional Dolsot bowls (affiliate) are made from granite with a reinforced steel band around the rim. However, this recipe also works with Korean earthenware clay pots (affiliate). Korean clay pots don’t get the bottom rice layer as crispy and browned, but otherwise, they work well. They are also less expensive, easier to find, and multi-functional. (Use also for Gyeran Jjim, Doenjang Jjigae, and Tuna Kimchi Jjigae).
*Look for both at any Korean market in a wide variety of sizes. And less expensive prices!
Ingredients:
- Rice. Short-grain rice (also called sushi rice) is recommended. White rice is classic, but feel free to use brown rice, too.
- Chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are juicy and tender. If you prefer, swap them for boneless, skinless chicken breast.
- Chicken marinade: Gochujang, Soy Sauce, Sugar, Sesame Oil, Garlic. This easy marinade comes together quickly and combines spicy, sweet, and savory pantry ingredients.
- Kimchi. Spicy, acidic kimchi — YUM!
- Cheese. A handful of gooey mozzarella cheese adds extra decadence.
- Corn. Pairs well with cheese and spicy Korean gochujang. Fresh corn preferred. But either canned corn (drain first) or frozen corn (defrost by running under cold water) also work.
- Green Onion + Perilla Leaves. *Optional garnish. Adds fresh, aromatic, herbal flavor.
Instructions:
- Slice chicken. Slice raw chicken into thin strips. Add to a small bowl.
- Marinate chicken. Add the marinade ingredients directly on top: gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and minced garlic. Combine chicken and the marinade together.
- Cook chicken. In an Air Fryer or non-stick skillet, cook chicken. For the Air Fryer, preheat at 400F/204C for 5 minutes. Line with parchment paper (to catch the juices) and add the chicken. Spread out the chicken into one even layer, making sure not to crowd the basket. Cook at 400F/204C for 12 minutes until cooked through with crispy, charred edges. Don’t forget to shake the air fryer basket! For a non-stick skillet, heat on medium heat. Add 1-2 tsp vegetable oil. When it’s hot, add the chicken and spread out into a thin, even layer. Cook, about 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through with slightly crisp, charred edges.
- Coat bowls with sesame oil. Add 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil to each bowl. Brush the sesame oil over the bottom of the stone bowls with a silicone brush.
- Assemble bowls. Add rice to each bowl, spreading it out into an even layer. Add kimchi to a small bowl and snip in smaller pieces with scissors. Add kimchi directly to the top of the rice. Add cooked chicken. Add cheese and finally, the corn.
- Heat the Dolsot Stone Bowl. Heat the assembled bowls on the stovetop over medium heat. When the rice starts to crackle and sizzle, lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until everything is heated through and a light brown crust forms on the bottom of the rice, about 5-8 minutes.
- Broil. To melt the cheese and slightly char the corn, transfer the Korean stone bowls to the oven and broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Enjoy! Remove heated Dolsot bowls from the oven with oven mitts. Add the green onion and perilla leaves on top of the melted cheese, if using. Serve immediately and enjoy!
PRO Tips:
- Change up the rice. Serve with Korean Purple Rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice.
- Use oven mitts. The heated bowls get very hot. Use oven-proof mitts when handling. And be careful!
- Serve on a trivet. The heated bowls also stay hot for a long time. When serving, use a trivet to prevent your table from scorching.
- Use a cast-iron skillet. If you don’t own stone bowls, use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron retains heat well and will create a crispy layer of rice.
- No Stone Bowl or Cast Iron Skillet? Spicy Chicken Bibimbap can also be enjoyed in a regular bowl. Make sure it’s a large bowl, though! It won’t be a Dolsot Bibimbap but it will still be very delicious. After assembling the bibimbap bowls, heat in the microwave (30-60 seconds) to melt the cheese.
FAQ:
No, Dolsot Stone Bowls are not compatible with induction stovetops. Regular Earthenware pots also will not work. *However, I have read that some Dolsot Bowls contain a steel core and can be compatible.
Store leftovers in the fridge. Transfer to an airtight container where it should keep for 2-3 days.
More chicken recipes:
- Korean Fried Chicken
- Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken
- Air Fryer Gochujang Chicken
- Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Wings with Korean Magic Dust BBQ Rub
- Air Fryer Miso Chicken Skewers
- Cheese Buldak (Korean Fire Chicken)
Spicy Chicken Bibimbap Recipe with Corn and Cheese
Equipment
- 2 Dolsot Korean Stone Bowl *or Korean earthenware clay pots
- Air Fryer or non-stick skillet
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
Spicy Chicken:
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp Gochujang
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic
Assembly:
- 1 1/2 cups white rice *divided
- 1/2 cup kimchi *divided
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated *divided
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil *divided
- 1/2 cup corn (canned, frozen, or fresh) *divided
Optional garnish:
- 2 green onions, chopped *divided
- 2 perilla leaves, chopped *divided
Instructions
- Slice chicken. Slice raw chicken into thin 1/4-inch strips. Add to a small bowl.
- Marinate chicken. Add the marinade ingredients directly on top: gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and minced garlic. Mix with a spoon until the chicken and the marinade are well combined.
- Cook chicken. In an Air Fryer or non-stick skillet, cook chicken.
- Air Fryer Instructions: Preheat at 400F/204C for 5 minutes. Line with parchment paper (to catch the juices) and add the chicken. Spread out the chicken into one even layer, making sure not to crowd the basket. Cook at 400F/204C for 12 minutes until cooked through with crispy, charred edges. Don't forget to shake the air fryer basket!
- Non-stick skillet instructions: Heat skillet on medium heat. Add 1-2 tsp vegetable oil. When it's hot, add the chicken and spread out into a thin, even layer. Cook, about 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through with slightly crisp, charred edges.
- Coat bowls with sesame oil. Add 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil to each bowl. Brush the sesame oil over the bottom of the pot with a silicone brush.
- Assemble bowls. Add rice to each bowl, spreading it out into an even layer. Add kimchi to a small bowl and snip in smaller pieces with scissors. Add kimchi directly to the top of the rice. Add cooked chicken. Add cheese and finally, the corn.
- Heat the Dolsot Stone Bowl. Heat the assembled rice bowls on the stovetop over medium heat. When the rice starts to crackle and sizzle, lower the heat to medium-low. Cook until everything is heated through and a light brown crust forms on the bottom of the rice, about 5-8 minutes.
- Broil. To melt the cheese and slightly char the corn, transfer the stone bowls to the oven and broil on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Enjoy! Remove from the oven with oven mitts. Add the green onion and perilla leaves on top of the melted cheese, if using. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
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- Use oven mitts. The heated bowls get very hot. Use oven-proof mitts when handling. And be careful!
-
- Serve on a trivet. The heated bowls also stay hot for a long time. When serving, use a trivet to prevent your table from scorching.
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- Use a cast-iron skillet. If you don’t own stone bowls, use a cast iron skillet. Cast iron retains heat well and will create a crispy layer of rice. Make 1 large portion and share at the table.
